Anita Sharma

Host and Producer, Life Transitions

Anita Sharma Ph.D., LCSW, is a Gerontology and Social Work Educator, Researcher, and Practitioner. She holds an M.A. in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, a prestigious social sciences university in India, a Master of Social Work (clinical practice) and a Doctorate in Social Work from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Louisiana and serves as a pro bono consultant to various agencies.

Dr. Sharma has served as the President of the Board of Directors for Families Helping Families and as the Chairperson of the Twin Cities Mayors' Committee for the Disabled. She has served on the Board of Directors for several organizations including Habitat for Humanity where she chaired the Family Selections Committee and set up guidelines to select families as Habitat partners. She served as a community member on the editorial board of the The News-Star and authored a weekly column for the newspaper on topics relating to public interest. Dr. Sharma is an active member of several community organizations serving the needs of elderly individuals and victims of family violence.

Ways to Connect

Grief is a natural reaction to any kind of loss. Loss does not always imply death. Grief occurs when we lose something or someone that is very close to our heart and we are emotionally attached to that person, object, or life situation.

We grieve when we lose a loved human, a pet, a place of residence, a job, a loved object, or a phase of our life. For instance, a lot of people grieve the loss of youth or the loss of good health.

Con artists appear to find their "perfect" victims among senior citizens. The good old-fashioned concept of trust becomes elder population's most vulnerable characteristic.

Unscrupulous people often take advantage of senior citizens' tendency to take people at their face-value and to believe their easy friendliness. Sometimes, older adults feel too helpless and/or physically frail to check out the credentials of people who offer to help them. Under the guise of help, con artists are able to rip off their unsuspecting prey.

We often say that a home is where the heart is. As we age, the definition of “home” often changes. A “home” may take on a more confining meaning such as, a nursing home.

Most elderly individuals would prefer to “age in place.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines “aging in place” as “the ability to live in one’s own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level.”

Do you know what your age is? Is that a silly question? Maybe or maybe not!

Do our birthdays determine our age? Or do our wrinkles? Or our energy levels? Or our ability to meet our goals? It all depends on how you define “age.”

Can we say that age is how old you feel? More than other people’s perceptions, our own perception of ourselves determines how old we look and feel. So is it perceptions alone that determine our age? Not really!